Man held for killing dad, sister, her son was in legal battle with father

The Mainichi Shimbun
December 6, 2007
Source: http://mdn.mainichi.jp/national/news/20071206p2a00m0na004000c.html

WAKAYAMA -- A man under arrest for fatally stabbing his father, sister and her son at their home here was in a legal battle with his father, police said.

Moreover, the suspect, 52-year-old Minoru Sakaguchi, has told local police that he was on bad terms with his father.

Investigators suspect that the trouble with his father was behind his murder and are grilling him over the exact motives for his crime.

Sakaguchi stands accused of murdering his 82-year-old father Yoshio, 49-year-old sister Miwako Takada and her 12-year-old son Sho.

In July 2001, Yoshio Sakaguchi filed a lawsuit with the Wakayama District Court, demanding Minoru leave the annex on the premises of his home in Wakayama.

Minoru began to live in the annex in 1988 and had no job, according to the suit. The father, who planned to remodel the annex so that he could receive nursing care in the structure, asked his son to leave the home and live by himself, only to be rejected.

Around that time, Minoru occasionally assaulted his father, the suit said.

Prior to the incident, he had sent CD-ROMs containing a letter, saying he harbored a grudge against his family, to the Wakayama bureaus of two newspapers, police said.

（Mainichi Japan） December 6, 2007

Man held over murder of 3 family members

The Yomiuri Shimbun
December 6, 2007
Source: http://www.yomiuri.co.jp/dy/national/20071206TDY02308.htm

WAKAYAMA--A 52-year-old Wakayama man was arrested early Wednesday on suspicion of fatally stabbing three of his relatives, police said.

Minoru Sakaguchi admitted stabbing his father, Yoshio, 82; younger sister Miwako Takada, 49, an eye doctor; and her son, Sho, 12. But he denied intending to murder them.

Sakaguchi told the police he had long held a grudge against his father, who formerly was a teacher at the public high school Sakaguchi attended.

Sakaguchi's father filed a lawsuit against him with the Wakayama District Court in 2001, demanding that he vacate his residence on the ground of domestic violence. Although the court ruled against Sakaguchi in 2002, he continued living in the house.

According to Wakayama Nishi Police Station, Sakaguchi is suspected of using a knife with a 20-centimeter blade to stab the three several times in the chest as they were sleeping at around 6 a.m. Monday. The knife was found in a bathroom in his house.

The knife wounds to Sakaguchi's father and sister pierced through to their backs. The elder Sakaguchi is believed to have died of blood loss, the police said.

Although Sakaguchi, who describes himself as a writer, has remained relatively calm during police questioning, he mentioned that he suffers from psychological disorder. He also made odd remarks during questioning. The police will conduct a summary psychiatric test on him.

The police also revealed that Sakaguchi returned an air gun to the police station around noon Tuesday and then left. Under law, air guns must be registered with police.

Meanwhile, The Yomiuri Shimbun's Wakayama bureau received an envelope containing a one-page letter and a CD-ROM sent by the suspect. The envelope, which arrived on Tuesday, bears a Monday postmark of Wakayama Minami Post Office, indicating that he may have mailed it after the crime.

The CD-ROM contains a 180-page typed document describing how Sakaguchi has held a grudge against his family since childhood.

A 52-year-old high school classmate of Sakaguchi said, "He often said his father upset him by always comparing him to his younger sister."

After graduating from a university in Chiba Prefecture, the suspect worked for a while as a part-time cram school instructor. The former classmate said Sakaguchi's parents had complained because he did not have a regular job.

Meanwhile, at Takamatsu Primary School, which Sho attended, teachers explained the incident to students on Wednesday. They later held a silent prayer for him, with some in tears.

(Dec. 6, 2007)

Man arrested for fatally stabbing his father, sister and her son

The Mainichi Shimbun
December 5, 2007
Source: http://mdn.mainichi.jp/national/news/20071205p2a00m0na006000c.html

WAKAYAMA -- A man has been arrested for fatally stabbing his father, sister and her son at their home here, police said.

Minoru Sakaguchi, 52, is accused of murdering his 82-year-old father Yoshio, 49-year-old sister Miwako Takada and her son, 12-year-old Sho. Investigators are grilling Sakaguchi over the motives for his crime.

Shortly before 6 p.m. on Tuesday, a care worker who visited the elder Sakaguchi called police, saying she had concerns for his safety because the door to his home in Wakayama was locked.

Officers entered the structure and found the three lying dead in the house with stab wounds.

At about 5 p.m., Minoru turned himself in to the prefectural police headquarters in Wakayama and confessed that he murdered them. He was immediately taken into custody.

Investigators said the suspect stabbed his father, sister and her son with a kitchen knife at their home at around 6 a.m. on Monday.

The elder Sakaguchi previously worked as a mathematics teacher at a high school while Miwako was a doctor.

（Mainichi Japan） December 5, 2007

3 family members found murdered in Wakayama

The Yomiuri Shimbun
December 5, 2007
Source: http://www.yomiuri.co.jp/dy/national/20071205TDY02311.htm

WAKAYAMA--Three family members were found stabbed to death early Tuesday evening at their house in Wakayama, police said.

Found dead were Yoshio Sakaguchi, 82; his oldest daughter Miwako Takada, 49, an eye doctor; and her son Sho, 12, a sixth-grader at Takamatsu Primary School in the city.

Meanwhile, Sakaguchi's 52-year-old son visited the headquarters of the Wakayama prefectural police about an hour before the discovery and made vague comments about stabbing people and other odd remarks. The police are questioning him on suspicion of murder and investigating whether he had any quarrel with Sakaguchi.

A caregiver who visited Sakaguchi's home at about 5:50 p.m. became concerned when she received no response from Sakaguchi and contacted the police.

According to the police, Sakaguchi was found dead in bed on the first floor lying faceup with several stab wounds to the chest.

Sakaguchi lived with his daughter and grandson. His son lives alone at an annex connected to Sakaguchi's residence.

When the caregiver visited Sakaguchi, the doors were locked.

According to a neighbor of Sakaguchi, Sakaguchi's wife died a year ago. Ever since, Sakaguchi and his daughter and grandson had lived together.

(Dec. 5, 2007)

52-year-old suspected of killing father, sister and nephew

The Asahi Shimbun
December 5, 2007
Source: http://www.asahi.com/english/Herald-asahi/TKY200712050222.html

WAKAYAMA--A 52-year-old man muttering that he was a target of a "terrorist war" was arrested Wednesday on suspicion of stabbing to death his father, sister and her son at the family's home here.

Minoru Sakaguchi, unemployed, said he had a "feud" with his father Yoshio, 82, and bore a "grudge" against him, police sources said.

The suspect told police he did not intend to kill the three, but he was uttering incomprehensible remarks, including the comment about his father starting the "terrorist war," the sources said.

The other victims were Miwako Takada, 49, the suspect's sister and a doctor, and her son, Sho, 12, a sixth-grader at an elementary school.

Minoru Sakaguchi is suspected of slaying the three around 6 a.m. Monday by stabbing them in the chest, abdomen and other parts with a kitchen knife with a 20-centimeter blade. The knife was found in a bathroom of the suspect's home.

Police believe the three were killed while they slept because there were no signs of a struggle, the sources said.

Yoshio Sakaguchi was stabbed the most times, the sources said.

The three victims lived together in a house. The suspect was staying in a separate building connected to the house.

The three bodies were found Tuesday after a home helper called police around 5:55 p.m.

The helper peered into Yoshio Sakaguchi's home through a window because the door was locked and found him lying still on his bed.

In a room next to the father's bedroom, police found Takada under her bed and Sho on his bed.

The suspect visited Wakayama prefectural police headquarters around 5 p.m. Tuesday and told officers that he had stabbed people.

Yoshio Sakaguchi had been living with his wife and their son since retiring as a school teacher, according to neighbors.

Takada and Sho moved into the house several years ago. Yoshio Sakaguchi's wife died in spring this year.

In recent years, Yoshio Sakaguchi was using a wheelchair.(IHT/Asahi: December 5, 2007)